Brief History of Switzerland Since 1848, the Swiss Confederation has been a federal state of relatively autonomous cantons, some of which have a history of confederacy that goes back more than 700 years, putting them among the world's oldest surviving republics. The early history of the region is tied to that of Alpine culture. Switzerland was inhabited by Gauls and Raetians, and it came under Roman rule in the 1st century BC. Gallo-Roman culture was amalgamated with Germanic influence during Late Antiquity, with the eastern part of Switzerland becoming Alemannic territory. The area of Switzerland was incorporated into the Frankish Empire in the 6th century. In the high medieval period, the eastern part became part of the Duchy of Swabia within the Holy Roman Empire while the western part was part of Burgundy.       Read More.......    History of the city of Basel Brief History of Basel Basel is a city on the Rhine River in northwest Switzerland, close to the country’s borders with France and Germany. Its medieval old town centers around Marktplatz, dominated by the 16th-century, red-sandstone Town Hall. Its 12th-century Gothic cathedral has city views, and contains the tomb of the 16th-century Dutch scholar, Erasmus. The city’s university houses some of Erasmus’ works. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany. In 2014, the Basel agglomeration was the third largest in Switzerland with a population of 537,100 in 74 municipalities in Switzerland and an additional 53 in neighboring countries (municipal count as of 2000). The official language of Basel is (the Swiss variety of Standard) German, but the main spoken language is the local variant of the Alemannic Swiss German dialect.       Read More about Basel.......     My Personal Travel Agent Viviane has set up trips for me to Austria, Morocco, Portugal, Sicily and many other destinations. A top Travel Consultant.       Read More about My Travel Agent.......   October 31, 2018     Leaving Foggy San Francisco to the San Francisco SFO Airport Morning Fog in San Francisco   Day 1     Transfer from the airport to the Swissotel Le Plaza for our stay in Switzerland Transportation and Hotel in Basel Switzerland Day 1 - Viking Cruise told us we could spend a few days in Basel after flying from San Francisco, pick up at the airport, drive to the hotel, next day a city tour and then transportation to the ship. Cost is only $500 more and we thought after a long flight it would be nice to relax, have dinner and some wine and have a good night sleep before the city tour and transfer to the ship! *Airport meet and greet transfers included when air is purchased from Viking Cruises. Hotel: Swissotel Le Plaza - Messeplaz 25 Basel Switzerland - Tel. 888-347-2319 - basel@swissotel.com Swissotel Le Plaza Basel is centrally located in Basel, a 1-minute walk from Congress Center Basel and 15 minutes by foot from Basel Town Hall. This 4.5-star hotel is 0.8 mi (1.2 km) from Jean Tinguely Museum. Tinguely Fountain Basel got a new landmark in 1977 when Jean Tinguely placed some amusing machine sculptures in an enormous pool of water on the site where the stage of the old city theatre was once located. The Swiss artist had black asphalt poured into a shallow basin before placing these low power-operated, water-spouting objects in it. These nine iron eminences are in constant motion and “talk” to each other just as did the mimers, actors and dancers who once performed at this very spot. 500 Year Old Basel Town Hall The Basel Town Hall (German: Rathaus Basel, locally known as Roothuus) is a 500-year-old building dominating the Marktplatz in Basel, Switzerland. The Town Hall houses the meetings of the Cantonal Parliament as well as the Cantonal Government of the canton of Basel-Stadt. The Great Council Chamber at one time featured a series of frescoes painted in 1522 by Hans Holbein the Younger, which have been lost. ] Fragments of the work as well as some of the initial drawings are kept in the Kunstmuseum. "Rathaus" literally means "council house" while the term "Roothus" in the local Basel German dialect means both "council house" but also sounds like "red house", a pun with reference to the red sandstone facade of the building. Main Market Square Created on: 2018.02.26 Updated on: 2018.11.14